


rì luò hé kā fēi (unedited)

by yumy



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adrien likes marinette, Again, Cussing, Drawn out, F/F, F/M, Long, M/M, Slow Burn, bisexual Alya, covers most of the canon romances/crushes, crushing hard, everyone likes marinette, fashion internship, it's okay though because it's more painful, luka likes marinette, marinette is working in fashion again, model adrien, nathaniel likes marinette, nino likes marinette, pansexual luka, this is going to take a while
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-03
Updated: 2019-02-12
Packaged: 2019-07-23 18:27:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,581
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16164422
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yumy/pseuds/yumy
Summary: Marinette is a new intern at Agreste. A certain blonde model catches her eye.Adrien is getting tired of his life in the spotlight. His heart beats faster around the blue haired girl.Nino thought he knew who he liked, until he fell for her best friend.Alya was content with her job. Because she's a kickass motherfucker.





	1. Chapter 1

Marinette smoothed down her dress as the song “Have It All” by Jason Mraz played softly in the background. The dress didn’t have any folds, but it didn’t hurt to be meticulous. She would have to be if she wanted her internship to become a job. The dress was one of her own designs, of course. Given the miniscule chance that her idol himself would see it, it might give her a little boost in the industry. First impressions were key, especially in a fashion company. Besides, most people already had connections to help them out. Her own humble background in a bakery would not be lending her any head starts.

Her best friend and roommate, Alya, had often sniffed about it to her. Besides the fact that Alya had to deal with similar issues herself, as a journalist with a chef for a mother and a zookeeper for a father, she was adamant that Marinette should not be subject to the commonly faced injustice either. Nepotism was a commonly heard word in conversations with her.

Besides, Marinette had so much talent. She heard that so often from Alya, as well as her maman and papa, that it was beginning to wear on her. That is, until she landed herself an internship after submitting a design in an online contest. She’d come in second place behind a girl named Chloe Bourgeois.

Naturally, her darling Alya complained that Chloe must have won through nepotism. Marinette had seen the design herself, though, and couldn’t find a fault in the work. Though it was harder to know virtually, she could tell that whoever had designed the outfit had real talent. Marinette’s own sundress and jacket combination had been nearly as good, but she knew that it’d been rushed. She’d had to work on it during breaks at her job at the coffeehouse. Little flaws in the pattern had led to a little bit of strange bunching at the waist of the yellow dress that couldn’t quite be passed off as an artistic decision. She and Nathaniel Kurtzberg, the third place winner, were lucky that the top three designers had been admitted as interns instead of only Chloe.

Nevertheless, it was the jacket and sundress combination that she wore to her first day at Agreste. It might help to remind people how she’d got there, as well as being a tried and true design that Gabriel Agreste himself had selected, or at least confirmed, as runner up. The sheer number of people that had entered had given her goosebumps when she’d found out, and a shiver still ran up her spine every time she thought of it again.

After another long moment examining the dress in the long mirror in her room, she pulled on her jacket. It was the same thin, soft, black one that she’d submitted to the contest, but the design of the dress had been slightly altered. For one, the issue with the waist had been mended. The dress was a little longer so as to be more work appropriate, but at the same time short enough to be considered flirtatious and fashionable. She was twenty three, after all. She’d enlarged the pockets and after some deliberation, she’d elected to keep the little capped sleeves so that if she were to take off her jacket, her shoulders would stay covered. It would be so dreadfully awful if the joints connecting her upper arms to her shoulders were visible. She couldn’t bear to face the complete and utter horror. All the men in the workplace would become so distracted. A whole day’s work would be void. Marinette was filled with sheer terror at the thought (thot). Okay, delete that part. Don’t take out your anger at the patriarchy in your fanfiction. Marinette and Alya are the diehard feminists anyway. The color of her dress was a viciously bright red with large, carefully distanced black spots instead of the sweet white floral design of the yellow dress. The color was borderline obnoxious, but paired with her black jacket and her heeled black lace up boots, Marinette felt like a force to be reckoned with. Alya would describe the look as “kickass”. Alya  _ had _ described the look as kickass. The night before, in a fit of doubt, Marinette had dragged her over to her room to confirm her outfit for the first day of work.

Nothing could bring her down on this day. She was balancing a job at a coffee house with an unpaid internship and was leaning more heavily than usual on her best friend for rent, but she had finally managed to dig her way out of the downward spiral that would surely have only led to her wearing an unflattering collared shirt and a matching hat behind the counter at a fast food restaurant. She wanted a name tag, but not the kind that went on a shirt. Preferably, it would be a name plaque to put on her desk in a big, beautiful building with large windows and personalized work areas, that read “Marinette Dupain-Cheng, CEO of Coccinelle”.

No one doubted that Marinette had her life together. Even when things were looking down after a long day at the coffee shop, she still managed to keep her head up. She had hopes and dreams, which when paired with her low expectations, led to a rather positive outlook on life. Marinette knew what she wanted, and she worked at getting her dream to come true. She aspired to run her own fashion company, called Coccinelle after her favorite animal and lucky charm, and an internship at the biggest fashion company in the world was a step in the right direction.

Marinette had a massive smile painted across her face. At this point, her cheeks were beginning to hurt, but the smile hadn’t gone away even as she’d tossed and turned with nerves the night before. It honestly felt slightly plastic, but as her papa had always said, positivity was key. That, and a full stomach. She raced towards the kitchen, teetering slightly on her heels. Marinette was clumsy even on two inch, wide heeled booties as opposed to the terrifying platform shoes Alya wore to fancy events.

“Marinette! Slow down and take a breath, please,” Alya laughed, “You’ll do great, girl. You’re so talented, and you’re the best new intern there. We both know that that Bourgeois girl got there through nepotism.”

“Can’t! What time is it? Oh, I’m running late.”

“Again, girl?”

“Yes! Again! Can you pass me that croissant?”

Alya sighed, sliding a croissant across the counter. She knew better than to toss it, aware that Marinette would likely drop it. As the frantic girl began to lace up her boots, Alya called, “Don’t eat too fast and choke. Let me know how your day went! Don’t be afraid to text me if you need to pretend to be busy, be careful of the creepy guy in the workplace, and if you need to stay late, absolutely do not walk outside alone! Call me if that happens. I love you, Mari!”

Halfway out the door, Marinette gave her a nod of approval before hitting the doorframe. She released a little yelp before rushing away as Alya smiled. “Silly girl.”

 

Marinette put on a burst of speed. The imminent rain seemed so unexpected. The day before had been perfectly blue and sunny, only one or two puffy white clouds in sight. If she didn’t make it to the office within three minutes, she was sure to be soaked. Arriving to the first day of work looking like a wet dog was most certainly not on her to do list.

The glassy windows of the Agreste building were reflective. Fortunately, the foreboding storm clouds blocked any sunlight that could shine into her eyes. The building itself was a modern shape, asymmetrical and slightly narrower at the top. The name AGRESTE was written along the top in chunky white letters. Gabriel certainly had style. Haha no i do i wrote this part.

Marinette composed herself for the last ten meters, slowing to a brisk walk and smoothing her dress again. Her hands gripped her pink purse so tightly that her knuckles were turning white, but that was all that portrayed her nerves. To anyone that didn’t know Marinette, all they would be able to see was a facade of calm. Of course, a facade is only superficial. Her insides were screaming bloody murder from the deadly combination of anxiety, joy, and absolute terror. She pasted on a smile, as it had magically faltered at the first glance she’d given the heavy, grey clouds blanketing the sky, worrying over how fake it seemed. Was it too stiff? Was she showing too many teeth? Too few? Was there a slim chance that she was grinning like Pennywise and looked like a sociopath? Her face felt like it was melting away from her body, like it was a galaxy away from her brain. There was definitely a certain sense of disconnect as a result from the panic she was experiencing.

She reached forward to push open the glass paneled door. To her surprise, the doors slid apart silently. Automatic. Not a surprise, given that Agreste was a multimillion euro company, but it was enough to send a near panicked Marinette Dupain Cheng off balance and tumbling into the reception.

Funnily enough, Marinette didn’t think that her first view of the inside of the building she’d latched her hopes and dreams upon to be of the carpet. Or rather, the lack of one. Her cheek was pressed against the cold marbled grey of the stone tiles. It really was a nice quality marble to have her face smashed (smushed?) against. Despite the chill, her cheeks were flushed bright red as she picked herself up off the floor. She walked towards the counter, desperately hoping to regain the cool semblance of confidence she had displayed only moments before. Her hands clasped awkwardly in front of her body.

“Hello, how can I help you?” asked the man behind the counter. He wore a black name tag bearing the name ‘MAX KANTE’, along with a plastic white card dangling from his hip. The card showed an image of the man with a wide grin alongside a barcode and his name, again. Though slightly tacky, he was still dressed fashionably in a nicely fitted navy button up and black jeans. He had several sleek, modern looking screens and devices before him as he paused his tapping and swiping to look up at her. Sure that her cheeks were burning, Marinette had to actively remind herself to resist the urge to look away, choosing instead to stare blankly at her reflection in his glasses.

“I’m the new intern, Marinette Dupain Cheng. I received second place in the novice fashion design contest?”

Max Kante’s face gave away nothing, seemingly disregarding her heated cheeks and high pitched, slightly breathy voice. Maybe he watched too much porn. Please remind me to delete that line. He resumed his tapping and swiping, occasionally pausing to type something into an equally high tech keyboard. Finally, he leaned back slightly into his chair, seeming to have completed his work. “May I ask your mother’s maiden name as confirmation of your identity?”  
“Sabine Cheng.”

“Excellent. Please stand here to take a photograph for your ID.” He pointed towards a location half a foot to her left. Marinette shuffled over. “On three. One, two, three.” A bright light flashed in her face as the camera immortalized her blush and plasticine smile. “Perfect.”

Behind the counter, a little machine buzzed before spitting out a white card like Max Kante’s. He attached it to a cord with a little clasp before passing it to her. “You’ll need that to actually enter this building. Scan it by one of these black devices. You can also scan your card for free meals at lunch and for entrance to warehouses. As an intern, your card does not allow you to enter every area, but you have enough access to the things you’ll need for work. Any questions?”

“No. Thank you!” Marinette grinned again. This time, it was slightly less fake. Unfortunately for her, it was most likely bordering on maniacal or hysterical. Overly enthusiastic. It really depended on who you asked. She knew her parents would prefer the term eager.

“You’re all set then! All you need now is your name tag.” Max Kante handed her two identical pins similar to his own. They were a gorgeous glossy black, with ‘MARINETTE DUPAIN’ written across them in white font. “I apologize for the shortening of your last name. We do this so that your name can fit on the tags without having to lower the font size. If you would prefer your full name, I can get that set up for you right now.”

“This one’s perfect. Don’t worry about it.” Marinette’s name was often shortened during her school years for convenience. Having a hyphenated last name was definitely neat, but often cumbersome.

“Great. Pin that on to your shirt whenever. It’s not required every day but definitely recommended. Name tags help people learn names without worrying as coming off as aloof by forgetting them. Again, they’re optional, but at the very least, do your best to wear it to meetings or when you think you may need to meet with the boss. Honestly, Miss Dupain Cheng, I would just suggest that you wear it every day. You received two so that you can keep one on your desk in the event that you forget to bring the other. If you lose your name tags, just come right back over and I’ll process another for you. Now, the procedure for if you lose your card is a little more tedious. Those are important because they can grant access to important or secret locations. If you lose a card, again, you’ll need to come to this front desk again. The lost card will be inputted into the system as cancelled before you can receive another. Sound fair?”

Marinette was struggling slightly to process what he said, but she delivered a fairly confident, “Absolutely.”

“Alright then,” said Max Kante. “The elevators are to your left.” He jerked his thumb over his shoulder at the large doored silver elevators.

“Thank you!” Marinette grinned, discreetly wiping her sweaty palms on her skirt. She marched herself towards the little room of sorts that the elevators occupied. After pressing the button, Marinette was surprised to find that the elevator arrived almost immediately. Fiddling with the edge of her jacket, her head was down as she moved to enter the elevator.

“Ooh!” Marinette let out a squeal. She’d run headfirst into a man. “I’m so sorry!”

“Hey, don’t worry about it. You know, I actually haven’t seen you around before. What’s your name?”

“I’m, uh, I’m Marinade, er, Marinette! Yeah! I’m Marinette!” As usual, when Marinette became flustered, such as around attractive people, her tendency to stutter and ramble became apparent. “I’m one of the new interns.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know about the name or the summary to be honest. The summary sounds like a bad smut. I'll probably change it to a segment from the chapter. Plus, I took forever to figure out how formatting works here?


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> marinette pulls up to work.. she's getting situated
> 
> p sure she'll meet adrien but we'll see lmao
> 
> i really should start just inputting quotes here it makes me sound smarter
> 
> i accidentally just fucking posted this and i'm def not done soooooooooooooooo
> 
> okay so walter helped me but i'll leave this up for the enjoyment of the people ;) expect the rest in the distant future
> 
> heads up: leave me comments and kudos and i'll probably just post the rest of the first draft-- sarcastic comments about porn and the patriarchy and the rest for your enjoyment

“I’m one of the new interns.” Marinette smiled awkwardly.

“Nice to meet you, dude!” the tall man said enthusiastically. He was tall and dark haired, dressed in a stylish, yet strangely bright, blue suit with a set of headphones around his neck. “I’m Nino. I’ll probably see you around. I work with a lot of models and interns help out with those sorts of things pretty often. I actually need to go now to speak with some fabric suppliers, but have a great first day! Quick tip: you’ll pick this up fast, but absolutely do not, and I mean do  _ not _ , mess up around Gabriel Agreste. He has the memory of an elephant, but on steroids. It helps if you call him sir.”

“Thank you!”

“Anytime, dude.” He winked.

“Good luck with the fabric suppliers,” Marinette called. She stepped into the elevator, unsure of what button to press. Each button had a little description next to it, but the information given was extremely strange. For example, Floor 2 was labelled “fabric so pink (A/N: i wanted to say “you’ll shit pink for a week” but) you’ll feel like Pinocchio’s dad inside the whale” and Floor 5 was entitled “has a great view”. She hadn’t thought these sorts of comments would fly with a man as stringent as Gabriel Agreste. It was obvious that neither he nor his assistant Nathalie Sancoeur, who was famous for standing emotionlessly in the background of Gabriel’s interviews and for her intense attention to detail, had checked these labels over. “Wait! Nino!”

“Yeah?” he asked, pivoting so quickly that he’d almost fallen over. “What do you need?”

“What floor do I go to? I had it written down, but I really have no idea right now.”

“New interns go to Floor 13.”

“Thanks so much! You’re a lifesaver.”

“No problem. See you later,” he grinned, “I’ll be back by lunch if you don’t have anyone to sit with.”

As the elevator doors slid soundlessly shut, Marinette couldn’t help smiling to herself. Nino had helped her crazy day start off wonderfully. She crossed her arms over her stomach. And waited.

The elevator seemed incredibly slow. Marinette couldn’t help thinking that it was strange. Agreste was such a large, modern company.

“Oh,” she breathed. Leaning forward to press the button 13, she crossed her arms again. This was going to be a stressful day.

 

Tikki was extremely sweet. Her boss, a short, bubbly woman, had welcomed her with a hug and hadn’t berated her for her tardiness. Currently, Marinette was trying to locate her in the maze of cubicles that made up the thirteenth floor due the vacancy in Tikki’s office. She rose to her tiptoes, craning her neck as she scanned for Tikki’s distinctive red hair.

“Need any help?” Marinette let out a squeal at the deep voice that came from behind her.

She turned. “Oh, thank goodness. Nino!”

“What’s up, Marinette?” He was grinning. The image of friendliness, his glasses were slightly lopsided and there was a crumb hanging onto his lip.

“I just got back from a meeting. My boss asked me to listen in and take notes because she couldn’t go herself and she needed them for some designs. I’m not sure where she went, just that she kind of rambled for a bit about being late and ran off.”

“Sweet! You have Tikki, right?” Marinette nodded. “Actually, I know why she couldn’t go herself. She was in another meeting with some of the other designers and Gabriel for Fashion Week. I was there, too, so I saw her.”

“Do you know where she is now? I need to give her these notes and ask for my next assignment.”

“Her office is right behind you, but you probably know that. She’ll be rushing down from the twenty sixth floor soon enough. Plagg insisted she grab some snacks with him. You’re in luck. If Tikki has just been to the cafeteria, you’ll be treated to some first class chocolate chip cookies. Plagg might be with her when she returns, and if you’re more into the savory things, he’ll have some real stinky cheese with him for sure. You’ll have to beg to get him to part with that stuff, though. I don’t really get him. That camembert absolutely reeks.”

Marinette giggled as she looked down. Her hands were fidgeting with her jacket again and she had to remind herself to stop and project confidence instead. Marinette raised her head as she heard a faint ding. Across the floor, the sleek elevator doors were sliding open. Tikki was emerging, her tinkling laugh sounding loudly at something the man in the elevator behind her was saying. He was tall and had jet black hair that was slightly long and shaggy. *wink wonk no this is not foreshadowing samreen get your mind out of the gutter* His smile was bright and mischievous, and immediately brought to mind the word “troublemaker”. He was dressed in a black leather jacket, distressed black greens, and a shockingly vivid lime green shirt.  Hubba fucking hubba. Based on the way his body leaned towards Tikki, Marinette was beginning to form several suspicions on the nature of their relationship.

Between giggles, Tikki choked out, “Plagg, stop it!”

Marinette leaned towards Nino. “Are they-”

“No, but the whole office ships them.” He wasn’t wrong. Everyone was watching them like they were in a sitcom. “We have a couple bets running. I’ve got fifty bucks, a croissant, and a 24-hour-chicken-suit-sentence deal with my best friend that they’ll get together by the end of the year.”

As Tikki spotted (;)) Marinette, waved, and grabbed Plagg’s wrist to pull him towards her, Marinette swayed towards Nino. “I want in,” she hissed.

If it was even possible, Nino’s grin widened. “I’ll fill you in at lunch. There’s a few you can take your pick from.” They straightened, trying to smother their smiles to a sane size as Tikki stopped before them, Plagg at her heels. There was definitely a strange reek surrounding them in a cloud, though Tikki’s sweet perfume worked very hard (someone give her perfume a raise) to mask it.

“Marinette!” squealed Tikki. “Meet Plagg! He’s Adrien Agreste’s agent and my best friend at work! Plagg, this is my new intern, Marinette Dupain Cheng. She’s very talented and got runner up in the contest.”

“Contest?” Plagg’s voice was scratchier than Marinette had anticipated, and she had to fight the slightly surprised expression sure to have flitted across her face. She cursed the BEING FROM ABOVE (lmao this line is a DELETE) for her Expressiveness and Openness and how fucking easy it was to read her face god fucking damn it Marinette.

Tikki sighed affectionately, patting Plagg on the back of his cool ass leather jacket that might or might not be vegan because Plagg is a real fucking softie (sorry b i’m tired as hell this is the result). “The novice fashion design contest? Plagg, sweetie, you organized part of this yourself. You helped Gabriel choose the winner. Please let this be ringing a bell.” lmao not the only bell that can be rung (i don’t understand that joke either but someone probably interpreted it some way and that’s good enough for me).

“Right. Sweet. You did that yellow dress? Real hot shit. ok tbh that line should be smth like ‘good job’,” Plagg acceded.

“Anyway, Marinette sweetheart, I know I’ve given you busy work all day, but there’s a couple closets and storage rooms on the seventh floor that need to be sorted? Could you do that by the end of the day, please? I left a note on your desk with specifics. I’m going to drop some cookies off there, too, but I need to run. I’ve got another meeting to attend with Plagg.” He grunted. “Bye, Marinette! Nino!”

“Thanks, Tikki!” she called as the small woman rushed away again, navigating her way around cubicles with Plagg trailing closely behind. Marinette turned to Nino, who was fidgeting with the case on his phone. “Do you think Plagg didn’t like me? He seemed kind of quiet and grunt-y.”

“Hm, Plagg? Nah, don’t worry about it, dude. That’s just how he is around Tikki. The quiet part, at least. The guy talks a hell of a lot and will actually talk your ear off. The grunting is just a part of his personality. It’s chill.” Nino glanced at her worried expression. “Hey, dude. Really, don’t worry. You didn’t do anything wrong.”

“Really?”

“Really. You’re chill.” Nino swung his arm around her into a casual, one-armed hug. He emitted warmth through the fabric of his suit and Marinette was tempted to snuggle into his embrace. She tilted her head up at him and smiled, barely aware of what she was doing. Marinette could assume that a light dusting of pink was tinging her cheeks. She was too focused on the feeling of belonging to register the sudden heating of Nino’s face and his widened eyes, as he dropped the water bottle (metal bc eco guys pls this is serious) in his other hand. He dropped his arm from Marinette’s shoulders, backing away slightly. Nino was moving awkwardly as he fumbled for his dropped bottle and he collided with the thankfully unoccupied desk behind him, causing a jar of pens and pencils to tip onto the floor as well. “Gah- I- uh- sorry- I didn’t mean- shoot- where’d that marker- ow- Marinette- oh jeez-” As Nino struggled to articulate, his arms waved around in choppy gestures.

Marinette couldn’t help but giggle at how flustered he was. “Relax, Nino. It’s fine, and I’m sure whoever’s desk this is doesn’t mind an accident.”

“You sure about that?” came a warm, lightly accented voice. As Nino raced to clean up his spill, Marinette turned to face a pretty, brown haired girl.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> y'allll this is bad... why are there multiple hits??? what a r e hits??? someone help me pls this is my first time on ao3
> 
> also uh there are notes multiple times and the notes from the first chapter are here too ahhh
> 
> i rlly seem to enjoy ending chapters every time a new character is introduced.. maybe i'll make teeny chapters so tikki and plagg can have their own introduction paragraphs too
> 
> sorry to disappoint my writing style is hella different from how i talk lmao also it was gonna take a while for the rest of it? because i wanted to write the rest then post it all at once or maybe a little bit each week? anyway if you katdos want the lil cliffhanger at the last chapter to be resolved  
> you will be sorely disappointed okay that is the only thing keeping this story alive
> 
> but give me like eight months lmao you'll get the whole shebang
> 
>  
> 
> oh my dear god i'm rereading some of the sarcastic comments i hadn't edited out and "maybe he watched too much porn. please remind me to delete this line." was left. fucking. in. literally bury me right now. (it was for my bb samw who volunteered to beta but not even she has accessed this piece of writing yet.) i almost don't want to delete it bc screw professionalism. maybe i'll post this once completely un-beta-ed with sarcastic comments and anger over toxic masculinity and do another w my sweet bby samweenus..


	3. thareee

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> sooooooooo they go get lunch lol
> 
> god i'm sorry for nasty formatting but i can't get myself to fix it it's 1 am and i'm completely dead inside,, more on that in the fic itself bc i have issues w oversharing

“I’m sorry?” Marinette was a little more than appalled at the woman’s rude behavior.

“Apology accepted. This might surprise you, but I _mind_ that all my pens are on the ground. Jagged Stone gave me that black pen, Mayor Bourgeois gifted me the pencil, and that marker right there is really glitchy and requires a good balance and a constant upward facing when not in use or it…” The woman hesitated, pausing her slow, pleasant lilt to tilt her head at the mess on the ground. “– does that.” The dark blue ink had spilled everywhere and was seeping across the marbled floor. “Granted, it’s a cheap marker, but Baby Spice gave me that one backstage at a concert.” She flicked her long brown hair over her shoulder before placing her hands on her hips. “What are you doing by my desk anyway?”

Nino edged forward, shielding Marinette slightly with his body. He crossed his arms as he turned to face her more fully, towering over her smaller build. He leaned in a way that forced her to look up to meet his eyes. Crossing his arms, his voice took on a sharp tone that Marinette never expected to come from her smiling, warm fuzzy giving, hopefully-future-friend. “Who do you think you are?”

Marinette had to give her credit for not flinching even as Nino loomed over her, though she caught a panicked flashing of her olive green eyes as they flickered back and forth. “Lila Rossi. Resident hot person,” she teased as she winked dramatically, yet somehow still irritatedly, at Nino whilst tilting her head to the side.

Marinette hated her instantly.

Nino’s nostrils flared slightly. “I think you should apologize to Marinette.”

“Oh, is that the name of the girl that spilled my things?” shit nino spilled it lemme fix later,, maybe marinette tried to help him catch his balance and whacked lila’s shit=

“It’s the name of the girl you were rude to.”

“Well, in that case, I _apologize_.” Lila made a show of it, going as far as to curtsy slightly and incline her head. Her voice positively dripped with sarcasm.

Marinette snorted. “Of course, I accept your apology. Thank you for the remorse, Ms. Rossi.”

“That wasn’t cool, dude,” Nino huffed at Lila. She ignored him, flipped her hair again, and sat down.

Marinette tugged at his arm. “It’s okay, Nino. Let’s get back to work.”

“Yeah. Yeah, okay,” he agreed absentmindedly, still glaring daggers at Lila Rossi. Motherfucker I’m worried that I’m starting to drift into some dangerously Ninette territory, but dw children. THe plan (am I allowed to spoil this) is for her to meet Adrien when she catches lunch w/ nino and fall head over heels. Later, Nino gets his ALYAR so we gucci.

Here I give credit to my boi Krispo for making me smile enough to write more today.

Gripping the sleeve of his blue suit, Marinette shepherded Nino away. “I need to go clean those store rooms. Go back to work. I’ll catch you at lunch, okay?” nyooom

“Okay. Yeah.” Nino stared over his shoulder at Lila’s seated form. He seemed like he was in another world, and when she looked into his eyes, he seemed slightly distant. Still murderous, but it was fUhcKiNG hilarious when he stumbled over a mesh trash can.

“Nino, you okay?” She was concerned for her friend, but her snorts were barely muffled.

He laughed, too. “Sorry, Marinette.”

“It’s strange. Usually, I’m the friend that trips over everything.”

“You got me on an off-day.” Nino tipped an imaginary hat and winked exaggeratedly. “See you later.”

 

As Marinette absentmindedly rode the elevator down twelve floors, she considered Nino. He seemed laidback when she’d first met him, but when Lila was being (a little bitch) rude? He’d defended her without hesitation.

She whipped her phone out of her dress pockets because marinette’s a little genius and made herself pockets bc not only is she a seamstress she’s a PERSON to text Alya.

  
_  
_

_I think I made a new_

_friend_

_oooooh spill_

_His name’s Nino_

_I’m going to get lunch_

_with him_

_I TOLD YOU!!!1!1!_

_Oop gtg_

_Have to work_

_tell me more tonight!_

_Will do ;)_

 

Marinette giggled at Alya’s excitement and tendency to type 1s instead of exclamation points. Alya always cheered her up when she was sad and made her happier when she was cheerful. Pocketing her phone, she strolled out of the elevator.

Floor Seven was chic, modern, and, she soon found out, (terribly) horribly, (no good very bad) horribly messy. The pale green accent walls were tasteful. People were sitting at their cubicles. They seemed to be working on accessories. Marinette saw lavish hats sitting beside elegant necklaces, simplistic earrings next to basic bracelets. Someone was sewing large black buttons onto the end of a scarf. Probably a prototype.

Walking a little farther in, Marinette found herself surrounded by a long hallway with labelled doors. “BUTTONS”, “THREAD”, “PAST DESIGNS” were among the farthest spaced ones, implying the largest rooms. Others included headings like “BACKUP SERGERS” and “WRITING UTENSILS (not for personal use)”. I’m crying i’m crying my friend basically told me he was in love with me and i so confused and i can’t deal please i’m sorry i can’t finish this chapter right now i’ll be back btw i started working again as soon as i posted it but dropped it bc i just don’t have the energy god i’m so sorry guys -- lol update i ghosted if you’re wondering about my personal life also my wrist hurts but i had a moment of inspiration so here we are :)

Marinette wandered down the hall until she reached the end. _Oh!_ She’d forgotten to pick up the note Tikki had left her.

 

When she reached the room marked “HANGERS”, she entered, the door swinging silently shut behind her. She found herself surrounded by a tangle of metal clothes hangers. _Oh lord_. Like that scene in Friends where Rachel wants a job with fashion so they make her untangle a mess of metal hangers rip girl

 

Lunch was… interesting. She’d found herself on the twenty sixth floor of AGRESTE holding a tray of one of those yum croissant sandwiches and a mango smoothie and realized she didn’t know where to go next. Frowning, Marinette scanned the room until her eyes landed on a certain brightly colored suit. He was seated near one of the large windows. At the moment, the view included the Champs-Elysees and the Arc de Triomphe (look i did research), but the rotating platform would soon be facing the Eiffel Tower.

“Nino!” she greeted.

“Oh, hey Marinette,” he replied. “Take a seat.” He patted the seat beside him.

She complied, sliding into the cushioned seat across from him. She sat near the window, leaning towards the window to gaze at the crowds milling along the roads of Paris.

Nino chomped down on his sandwich. “Who is Marinette?”

“Pardon?”

“Who is Marinette, other than fashion designer extraordinaire, klutz, and ridiculously cute human?”

She reddened before giggling. “I’m Marinette Dupain-Cheng. I’m 23 and I just graduated from IFM and was trying to start up my own boutique. I’m doing that on the side really. I work at a cafe to help pay the bills. Currently, I live with my best friend Alya Cesaire. She’s a journalist. I grew up in a bakery. Um, I also went to Collège Françoise Dupont.”

“I went there too! Strange, I think I would recall seeing you.”

“I looked really different. I had pigtails and I had this strange obsession with pink pants?”

Nino frowned. “I’m not sure.”

Marinette leaned forward conspiratorially on her elbows. “And who is Nino? What makes him tick?”

“My full name is Nino Lahiffe. I’m 23 and I’ve been working here at AGRESTE since I was 19. I’ve been really into music for a long time and I still DJ on the side. These headphones?” He gestured to the gold toned headphones around his neck. “They’re my babies.”

Marinette smiled widely. “I would hate to meet the mother.”

Nino’s face scrunched up before he let out a loud laugh. “Speaking of which, I wanted to inform you of the wonderful bets we have placed on Tikki and Plagg’s relationship.”

“Tagg?”  
“Personally, I prefer Plikki.”

“You’re right, Plikki sounds like a cute water bottle brand.” please guys go green i’m serious if you can’t afford a hydro there’s a lot of other options

“The shame I have placed upon these bets is worth a lot more than a water bottle.” no it’s not save the seas ok

“If I recall correctly, there was a 24 hour chicken suit deal?”

“As well as fifty dollars and a croissant from that really good bakery on Rue Gotlib in the 21st arrondissement (btw there’s only twenty in paris so this is fictional and i spent way too long trying to locate it on google maps before it occurred to me that it might be fake). It’s far enough away to be hard to reach but good enough to be worth it.”

Marinette’s eyes widened. “I think that’s my parents’ boulangerie.”

“Tom and Sabine’s?”

“That’s them.”

“Really? If you’re as good of a baker, we should hang out sometime and maybe you could teach me. You could come over to my place, if you’re comfortable. And bring some croissants so I can have some before Adrien shows up with them and a chicken costume.” are they a furry if they have feathers

“You better have bought your suit already,” called new, deep, rumbling voice.

Marinette entered a state of stunned silence as she laid eyes upon the single most gorgeous, drool worthy, stunningly hot man she’d ever seen strolling towards their table. His gait was confident and self assured, as if he was incredibly good looking and was perfectly aware of it. He had a messy crop of blonde hair that he was running his fingers through. He was dressed in a black suit with a pale olive green button up, finished with an emerald colored tie that brought out the warm bright greens of his eyes.. The top three buttons of his shirt were undone and Marinette caught a glimpse of smooth, tanned skin. Not that she was objectifying him.

“Hey dude! I keep one stashed for you in the back of my closet.” Nino’s voice was beginning to sound extremely distant.

“You better be ready to use it yourself. Or are you too _chicken_?” Adrien retorted, grinning smugly. Marinette stifled a laugh.

Nino laughed. “Yeah right, dude. They’ve been running around each other for years. What makes you think they’ll suddenly get together in the three months before fashion week?”

“Well, something should change closer to fashion week than the end of the year. Forgive me for _believing in romance_. Sorry to ruffle your feathers, but you’ll need to prepare that suit. And I like my croissants warm.”

Marinette snorted before composing herself. Nino seemed to become conscious of her presence again. “Sorry Marinette, I forgot to introduce you. Adrien, this is Marinette Dupain Cheng. Marinette, this is Adrien Agreste.”

Her jaw dropped for the second time that day. “Agreste?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i finally finished this!!! feeling prolific but is it just me or have i been getting less funny  
> also: i have been making changes because ultimately i'm still publishing my first draft so little things like sentence structure or floor numbers have been changing erratically
> 
> (i have a loose plan up until november of this timeline -- it's currently june idk if that matters for you it prob doesn't but it helps me-- for adrienette and djwifi; not even including all the other crap that i have planned for everyone else)


	4. foore

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> :)
> 
> *wiggles eyebrows*

He rubbed the back of his neck bashfully. “Uh, yeah?”

“You’re awesome. I mean, that’s awesome.” She avoided his eyes as she stammered. She fiddled with the edge of her skirt, examining how the little black dots folded at the hem.

“Thanks?”

Nino grinned. “Adrien, sit down.” As the blonde god (worship that ass) obeyed, Nino continued. “Marinette, I know you just said Gabriel was your favorite and you can fangirl all you want, but he doesn’t design clothes. He just models them.”

At that, Marinette had to shift her attention to not drooling on the front of her dress. same girl. His occupation certainly explained a lot.

“I didn’t know Gabriel had a son. That was a model. A son model. Model son.”

“Really? Adrien is awesome. And extremely famous. He’s a  _ supermodel _ ,” Nino announced proudly.

“I’ve been more focused on Gabriel’s designs than his family tree?”

Adrien smiled at that. Maybe he was used to everyone throwing themselves at him in hopes of rising up in the company (or just to lick his abs damn i would go there). “I don’t really like to throw my name around. I usually just go by Adrien.”

“My boy doesn’t like people thinking he’s risen up in the modelling industry because of his father.”

_ Adrien the model’s last name was  _ Agreste _?! Adrien the cover of basically every fashion magazine ever? Adrien that walked at the last Gucci (lol mari you gucci?) runway? Oh my god oh my god asfpefd phew fdslj _ , short circuited Marinette’s brain.  _ Mohthefuckerfdsf _ . Without thinking, she whipped out her phone again to text Alya.

_ ALYA _

_ yeah babe? _

“Adrien…” Nino turned and began to babble with his friend about a recent fashion show and the new, sultry music he needed to compose.

_ SO I’M EATING LUNCH _

_ WITH NINO _

_ MY NEW FRIEND _

_ eat-ING? _

_ as in present tense? _

_ AND IT TURNS OUT HIS _

_ BEST FRIEND IS ADRIEN _

_ agreste? _

_ WHAT AM I THE ONLY _

_ ONE THAT DIDN’T KNOW  _ THAT

_ ADRIEN’S LAST NAME WAS _

_ AGRESTE? _

_ he’s mononymous _

_ but yeah i’m a reporter remember _

_ also i don’t live under a rock _

_ BUT I’M A  _ FASHION DESIGNER

_ I’M SUPPOSED TO KNOW THIS _

_ BUT I JUST LOOKED AT THE _

_ CLOTHES ON HIM _

_ NOT THE PROBABLY ROCK HARD _

_ ABS UNDERNEATH THEM _

_ BUT ALYAAAAA IT TURNS OUT _

_ HE’S REALLY HOT _

_ hi what does the word _

_ supermodel mean to you _

_ but if he’s there you should make a move _

_ get some of that supermodel *insert word i can’t say if i want to continue calling this a teen rated fic* _

_ BUT WHAT IF HE THINKS I’M _

_ ONLY HITTING ON HIM TO MAKE _

_ A GOOD IMPRESSION ON HIS DAD _

_ ALSO I’M A SCAREDY CAT _

_ HE LOOKS LIKE SUCH A NICE GUY _

_ HE’S EVEN EATING HIS VEGGIES _

_ wait shit _

_ you’re still eating?? _

_ Yeah? _

_ as in, nino and adrien are _

_ still there? _

_ Uh _

_ and this is the first time you’ve _

_ eaten with them? _

_ and YOU’RE TEXTING ME?!!1/!?!? _

_ ON A COMPLETELY UNRELATED _

_ NOTE I NEED TO GO NOW _

_ lol girllll _

_ go get that *** _

Marinette started. “Sorry guys, my best friend needed me for something.” She could hear Alya’s voice laughing in her head.  _ Sure, girl, blame it on me _ . “Shut up,” she hissed.

“What?” Adrien asked, confused.

“Nothing, sorry.”

Marinette was tempted to close her eyes just to let the smooth baritone of Adrien’s response wash over her. On the other hand, she couldn’t stop looking at him.

She was so busy trying to keep herself from staring at Adrien that she didn’t notice his efforts to do the same.

 

“And that’s why I like playing video games right after dinner!” Nino declared.

“I agree that we should play video games everyday, all the time, 25/8, but specifically after dinner? Man, I would be stuffed but I would whoop your sorry ass anyway. Same goes for you, Adrien. Not that I would do anything aggressive to your ass. Ha.” lol mari you wouldn’t but i, on the other ha-

Adrien snorted. “You’re talking to the kid whose father thought money and gifts could be exchanged for time and love from a parent. I grew up on these video games. The only ass that will be destroyed is yours.”

Marinette flinched, and then blushed  Over the last week, the three of them had eaten lunch together every day, except the day Adrien was on a shoot, and she’d gradually noticed Adrien opening up more and more about his past. He seemed to be of the belief that he’d had a terrible childhood, but she was afraid to push and ask more about it. Still, the more she got to know Adrien, the more she suspected she was about to fall down a very, very deep dark hole of ~emotions. She wanted to get to know Nino better, but he seemed a little on edge around her sometimes and clammed up more and more, especially when Adrien had gone the day before.

“Speaking of video games, why don’t we all hang out, so we can really see who’s the best?” Nino suggested. Adrien smiled at that, and Marinette’s heart warmed. Her new friends seemed genuinely excited to spend time around her. “Why don’t we head over to, uh-” Again, Nino froze, looking extremely stiff and reddening slightly. “Uhhhh,” he flailed, “to Adrien’s place! Um. Yeah! Adrien’s apartment!” i’m tryna channel animan but he can’t turn to ur best friend alya bc he doesn’t know her yet :(

Marinette nearly crowed with excitement, until her newfound joy at being invited to Adrien’s living quarters was crushed by the man himself. “Nino, you do know that my entire apartment is being remodeled and I live in a hotel right now?”

“Dude, you’re staying at the best suite in Le Grande Paris.”

“Dude, my kitchen has been leveled.”

“Guys, that’s okay! We can head over to my place. You can meet my best friend!”

“Alya, right?” asked Nino. oh little do you know little man

“Yep!”

“I’d love to be there, dude.”

Adrien turned to her, beaming. “Me, too.”

Marinette squirmed under his gaze. “No- no problem.”

“When are you free?” Nino asked. “I’m free all the time. Whenever. Any time.”

“Today?”

“Sounds good.”

As the two men rose to leave, citing a meeting, Marinette chomped her saladly slowly and stared out the rotating windows, currently facing the Eiffel Tower.

_ Uh hey Als _

_ what do you want _

_ I _

_ I kinda invited Adrien over _

_ when? _

_ Tonight? _

_ nice _

_ i’ll make myself scarce _

_ i’d love to meet him but i _

_ strongly encourage you to *** his *** _

_ not to objectify or anything _

_ i’m sure he’s a delight _

_ Nino’s gonna be there, too _

_ excellent _

_ i will distract the probably hot friend _

_ thus creating a win-win-win-win situation _

_ you get to hit on adrien _

_ adrien gets to know you better _

_ i get to meet his hot friend _

_ and nino gets to hang out with me _

_ win-win-win-win _

_ Huh I thought you would be madder _

_ who do you take me for? chloe? _

_ You haven’t even met her!  _ I _ haven’t even _

_ met her and I work here! _

_ You’re just pissy she won that contest _

_ no she is a rich entitled fool _

_ my sources tell me you haven’t _

_ seen her yet because she’s _

_ vacationing in majorca right now _

_ LOL _

_ eh don’t worry _

_ if worst comes to worst i still _

_ have a taser in my purse _

Marinette giggled. “Oof!” She let out a squeal as she bumped head first into a (surprisingly hard) chest. “Ah! Sorry! I was on my phone because- and I wasn’t looking where I was going- I didn’t mean to- Oh, it’s all my fault. Sorry.”

The man laughed. “No worries. I wasn’t paying attention either. I don’t know how I didn’t notice someone like you, though.”

“Don’t worry about it!” Marinette reddened as her voice began to rise in pitch.

“I don’t think I’ve seen you before. Are you new?”

She nodded. “I just started my internship.”

“Wow, congratulations!”

“Thanks!”

Marinette started to reach out her hand in an attempt to shake his. “I’m– Oh!”

As someone she recognized as Lila, the bitch hoe ass that can skrrt skrrt to Atlantis and stay there, shoved by her in the doorway without so much as an apology, Marinette pitched forward, tripping over her feet. She nearly stumbled onto the ground, but the man had reacted quickly and caught her, and now she stood in his arms, sandwiching him between her body and the doorframe. She was leaning heavily against his warm, muscled chest, gazing up at him with a look of absolute shock and bewilderment. If she wasn’t as short as she was and he wasn’t quite so tall, they would be kissing. She could feel his heart beating rapidly against her cheek.

Reluctantly, she backed up a few steps, putting a normal distance between them. He released her somewhat hesitantly. “I’m so sorry.”

“Again, not your fault. That girl can go to hell.”

A crazed laugh bubbled up and she let it sound out. “She bitched about her pens and tried to brag about her relationship to the Spice Girls the first time I met her. Everyone seems to love her, though.”

“Nah. She’s a pathological liar and would be willing to screw everyone over if it helped her. Anyway, you were saying?”

“Right. I was going to introduce myself. Hi, I’m Marinette.”

“Hi, Marinette!” He grasped her hand with his, shaking her limp hand. “I’m-”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> and so we continue my habit of ending chapters right before introductions
> 
> also sorry this is shorter than i intended it to be but i didn't want to add words just for the sake of word count

**Author's Note:**

> I don't know about the name or the summary to be honest. The summary sounds like a bad smut. This is, in fact, not smut. The worst it gets is probably a kiss or something after forever and maybe some cussing. I'll probably change it to a segment from the chapter. Plus, I've been trying forever to figure out how formatting works here? Spoiler: I fail. Epically.
> 
> new summary:  
> another sketchy adrienette fic filled to the brim with tropes; kinda canon if canon was everyone aged up and into fashion


End file.
